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5 times Oscar winners' speeches got cut off ... awkwardly

Hamlet: “To be, or not to be?” Everyone in line at Starbucks: “ La La Land , or Moonlight ?” That feverish Oscar buzz is in the air, and it seems like people everywhere are placing their bets and buying popcorn in preparation for this Sunday’s...

5 times Oscar winners' speeches got cut off ... awkwardly

That feverish Oscar buzz is in the air, and it seems like people everywhere are placing their bets and buying popcorn in preparation for this Sunday’s award ceremony. Each year we tune in and cross our fingers that we’ll see another dress like Halle Berry’s in 2002, or hear another acceptance speech like Sally Field’s in 1985.

The speeches are the best part of the Oscars. We get to see what our favorite actors are like when they aren’t, well, acting — they’re crying in shock, they’re tripping, and some of them even (sigh) sound a little scripted.

But the cringiest of the cringes occur when music strikes back. You know, when an impassioned winner goes over the time limit for his or her speech. Sometimes their mics are shut off. They get chased off the stage by dramatic orchestral music -- sometimes by the ominous Jaws theme.

So, in order of kinda cringe-y to King Cringe, here are the top 5 most uncomfortable times when music kicked our most beloved Hollywood darlings off the Oscar stage. You may want to get that popcorn ready.

1 . Julia Roberts wins Best Actress in 2001 and fights back

Roberts pulled a total “Long Island Medium” here and knew exactly what was coming. She realized her speech would run long, so she immediately told the timer to sit back and relax for a while. And it worked.

2. When Michael Moore got both booed and played off

Following the success of his controversial 2002 documentary Bowling For Columbine, Moore used his Oscar speech time to make a political statement. He was met with cacophonous booing — and to add to it, that dreaded orchestra started coming in. So many sounds, so many cringes.

3. Glen Hansard (oh, and Marketa Irglova) win for musical Once

Poor Marketa. Hansard, being the quintessential Irish troubadour he is, filled the allotted speech time with heartfelt thank-yous and musings on art. But as soon as Irglova stepped up to the mic, it was shut off, and a muscular band arrangement — of the duo’s own song — forced her offstage. Irony has a sound, and it’s not very sweet. But then ... wait and see what the host that year (2008), Jon Stewart, does.

4. Life of Pi crew wins for visual effects and Jaws comes to bite

The 2013 Oscars made a point to not skimp on screen time for the visual effects category because it was a good year for technical wizardry in film. One member of the Life of Pi team gracefully accepted the award, and things were going well ... until the Jaws theme song started playing him off. This guy didn’t get the hint — and the music got louder and the crowd nervously laughed and we all cringed until the end of time.

5. Cuba Gooding Jr. perseveres

After winning for his role in 1997’s Jerry Maguire, Gooding's speech was wonderfully sentimental and genuine. Just as he started thanking God, those pesky sweeping violins came in. But then Cuba did something amazing. Instead of fighting the music, his speech worked in harmony with its hopeful tone — the sweeping violins became almost a background, a soundtrack, to his joy. And then our squirms turned into smiles.

Melina Glusac is a member of the USA TODAY College contributor network.

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